Please upload a link to your current online portfolio or upload photos. Please have this finished by Thursday evening , Feb. 6th or Friday morning at the latest. This will give Shannon time to review your current portfolio and provide thoughtful feedback about it.

From Shannon Shea to the class:

Greetings!

Now that you have had 24 hours to digest our first meeting, I want to offer some more thoughts and remind you of some things you might have missed.

As nostalgic as we all are for the great days of 80's creature effects in motion pictures, the environment has changed and much of your success in the industry will do with your perception of the situation. Don't spend time uselessly wishing that you could pack some hastily taken photos of a creature mask you made in your garage, jump in your car, and drive to Los Angeles in search of work in a studio. Instead focus on opportunities all over the world. As I've said, motion picture production happens all over the globe and in recent years, we've seen the emergence of VERY STRONG foreign genre pictures as well as the regional companies that have executed the effects.

It sounds cliche but "good business is where you find it - or CREATE it."

I started to tell the story of Patrick McGee yesterday (honestly, I had a lot to get through, and I couldn't for the life of me remember his name). He was the gentleman who made full-sized replicas of Rick Baker's Were-cat from Michael Jackson's THRILLER as well as a werewolf from AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON. Patrick impressed Rick with the quality of his work, that Rick hired Pat on MEN IN BLACK III. Patrick stayed on and worked until he was rewarded a job he bid on to do the makeups for Universal Studios Hollywood's GRINCHMAS show. He left working at the studio to pursue his own job and having done well, is now called every year to repeat his duties.

Why am I telling you this? Because even though he had been hired at THE most prestigious and exclusive makeup effects studios, he left as soon as he saw an opportunity for himself. Sounds selfish? Perhaps. But what Patrick understood was that working for Rick meant working on someone else's schedule, for a wage negotiated based on his value to the shop, with no guarantee for how long he would retain his position. Working for himself offered a better risk (that is, for HIM). The other studio artists were shocked, but it made sense for him in the long run. Keep an eye on what is going to serve you.

The originator of Kundalini yoga in the Western World, Yogi Bhajan said: "You need to be selfish before you can become selfless." What that means is take care of YOURSELF first before serving others. The same is true of business. Your being able to handle and create a successful career, results in your being less dependent on others by seeking employment while instead potentially having the ability to HIRE others. Just something to think about.

(Cont)

As for what I lovingly refer to as my HOLLYWOOD SQUARES, I want to address you all briefly:

BRIAN - It was great meeting you yesterday, You certainly have tons of drive/passion and I can see you are a HUGE fan. Like Patrick McGee, you spend a lot of time/money creating replicas of creatures that have already been established, or are VERY influenced by established creatures (your Gillman inspired by the MONSTER SQUAD Gillman is an example). Here's the thing: you have to do one or the other. Either completely commit to doing your studio replicas that you sell to collectors, or break away and start creating your own line of creatures. The worst thing you can do is put work in your portfolio that you are calling "my original creatures" that are so reminiscent of things we've already seen that it will work against you. There is nothing wrong running a business creating studio replicas. Again, that is what Patrick McGee does as does David Woodruff Jr. They supplement their incomes selling to collectors. But if you are going in search of work either at a studio or from a producer, showing this kind of work isn't going to help. Think about what kind of business you want to run and make that your PRIMARY focus. Again, take some photos of your work using what John Ales showed you on Saturday, and I'd also like to see some super-refined film-quality work (where the detail and the forms are REALLY taken to a level where it will hold up to a 4k digital video camera) Okay?

JASPER - You come to this class already thinking diversification, and by gum, that is what I preach, right? I reviewed ALL of the work on your page (I like your "signature" logo btw), however I feel like you, more than anybody, will benefit from Shannon Gans' advice. Your site, though simple and easy to navigate, isn't INSTANTLY engaging and you have some FRIGGIN' COOL stuff HIDDEN! WHY? The animatronic Frankenstein duo, the projection effects, why hide those so I have to go in search? Your site needs a re-design my friend. YOU DO GREAT WORK but it is hidden. Remember you are SELLING yourself. There is no room for modesty (false or genuine) here. Someone once told me that unless you are paying someone to do so, no one is going to toot your horn for you, so you better get used to doing it yourself. Take some photos of your sculptures (or anything new you have) using the Ales method and start working on a "WOW" page on your site. The work is excellent...once I found it.

DAVID - I have become a huge fan of Blue Realm Studios. I really am impressed with much on your site. I think we both know that what you need is more product. The facility is there, it is clean and impressive. I think that you show off machines (which is VERY important) but you have to put SIMPLE descriptions as to their function. Yes, many times a seasoned producer will visit your site and already know what the machines do (like yours truly) but often times, you have to, again, sell. Why is it advantageous to hire someone with a C & C machine? Well, I know but saying something like: "Accurate, custom machining by state-of-the-art C & C services" tells me what the machine does and promises a level of quality. You show a BEAUTIFUL shot of your studio and then don't say (clearly) how big it is. And here is another hint. An empty shop isn't a busy shop. Your photos are showing me a business that is up for sale, not a business that is in business. Again, it is salesmanship. Get some friends in the shop and show them working on ANYTHING. The shop can still be clean, let me get a sense that you are working an in-demand. It isn't dishonest, it's just sales.

(CONT)

JUSTIN - I went to your site and saw much of the beautiful art and sculptures you have done. I could go on and on and on, but the bottom line is what I advised you. Pick like 6 - 10 images of things you are particularly proud of. Make sure they are photographed beautifully and get them to me next class. Re-photograph pieces a la the Ales method if you can. You do great work, but there are so many photos of so many pieces that it takes too much time to wade through.

JORGE - I gave you your assignment. What ever you do, don't be intimidated. This is a LEARNING opportunity and unless you try, you will never learn. Want to see at LEAST one photo or a drawing or SOMETHING from you at the end of the week. Okay?

PETER - WTF? After digging around I finally found your BIG GUN site. WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU? IT WAS FANTASTIC! REALLY GREAT STUFF! You have such an impressive foundation that all I think you need to do (if you want) is diversify into some cool green-screen puppet stuff and practical effects....if you want to. Your creature design is fun, the clean level of your composite work, your animations....I don't know what to say except.....WTF? Why did it take me so damn long to find your site? You, too, can benefit from Shannon Gans' suggestions. BE SEEN! Your blog is cool and Matt Winston is going to talk to you next week about social media (which you are already doing) but your site has to be seen. It is great work....really! Love it!

AMERICAN MADE MONSTER - Okay folks, I stand by what I said. I know you are a new company but HOLY HECK do you have a library of assets that would make any producer drool. The quality of the work is good and as I've said, the New York tax incentive makes shooting in the STATE of New York very appealing. I've heard of a movement in the Hudson River Valley that is attempting to attract more projects to shoot there. You all have tons of work to do. Put your site together. Get your logos and trademarks ready. Take some great catalog photos and call the New York Film Commission and ask if there is a roster or filmmakers information catalog that you can advertise in for work. With everything you have, you'll be up and working in no time. But this doesn't mean rest on your laurels. NO WAY. I think what you have scratched the surface with, you need to further explore. Rental dummies, rental animals, rental weapons. All of it. Think in terms of this: If I were making a ________________________ kind of movie, what would the production need, on set (well, including set pieces) to shoot? Guns? Dead bodies? Police badges? Ray guns? Electric Frankenstein-eque equipment? Control panels? And start building to rent - whatever isn't rented goes to your attraction right? Very exciting stuff!

(CONT)

SHELLY - I went to your site and I have to repeat what I said to Justin. I need to see less stuff organized better. So pick out like 10 of the best, most diverse images and arrange them in an easy to navigate way. Pretend that you have exactly 2 minutes to impress me with not just the quality of your work, but how you present yourself. And remember this: How you present yourself is going to determine most of the rest of your career. If you want to be the female Tom Savini - you don't need my blessing but somewhere I have a newspaper article interview with Tom complaining that he had been type-cast in his career and he was capable of so much more than gore. Always lead with impressive character makeups, beauty makeups, and end with the gore. And like I said, think about learning, manufacturing, cataloging and selling pros-aide transfer wounds, etc. You can sell them to local makeup stores and to makeup artists in the area. If you do good clean quality work, that is what is going to attract customers and keep them coming back. Take new photos this week if you can, but certainly by the end of course, okay?

Lastly -

MELANIE (Chris, can you correct my spelling here?) - I await some photos of your work. Go ahead and submit anything you have, but by Saturday, take a look at your submissions and see if there is anything you might want to re-photograph using the techniques and tips offered by Mr. Ales. Please do not feel intimidated or discouraged. I'm here to help. Can't wait to see what you are up to!

So that's it for now. Let's get ready for a great class next week. I'm sure Matt is going to ask you about your social media accounts so be prepared to tell him how you are (or are going to ) market yourself with social media.

Thanks for the feedback! I'll add some stuff to my site to make it a bit easier to get to the meat. You asked me to take new photos this week, but most of my work is applied prosthetics. The only photos I have are those taken on set. I'm not certain what it is that you are wanting me to do unless you're only wanting me to take photos of some of the props that I was able to retain.

Since this was just posted, I wasn't certain what my homework was, so I did start doing some sculpts. As much as I would love to do Pros-Aide transfers (and plan to do in the future), I don't have all of the supplies for that right now. After taking off work for some recent surgery and my husband losing his job two weeks ago, I just can't afford to order them (not that they would arrive in time anyway). Since that wasn't an option, I thought I could do some foam latex appliances. Two things I have plenty of in my studio are clay and plaster. I made a board of six simple pieces (bite mark, some gashes, etc.) that I may be able to sell. I also did a sculpt of a design I'm working on for an upcoming feature. The mold is setting as I type. I plan on running the foam tomorrow. I don't have a foam oven, but I do have a double oven in my kitchen. My family will just have to endure.

I'll be spending the rest of my time getting these pieces photographed and painted in time for your review on Thursday. In the meantime, I'll be sure to revamp my website a bit.

Hi Shelly. I totally understand your situation and let's face it, it is a reality of life and how you are

handling the situation is indicative of someone who intends on rising above it; I salute you. Going back to something I said to you during the lecture, this isn't FACE OFF. I don't want or enjoy the idea of saddling you with an assignment with an arbitrary deadline just to "see what you can handle." I'd rather you take your time. One GREAT piece is better than 5 mediocre pieces or especially 10 crappy ones. As for transfers, that wasn't intended on being your assignment this week. I'm proposing a long-range business opportunity for you in your area so that you can maximize and subsidize your earning power.

To the rest of you, PLEASE forgive me if I've misspelled your name (or worse, call you David instead of Charlie) - I wrote all of your names down, made notes and then left my legal pad in the studio. I'll do better later this week and I know you all will too. I look forward to seeing your assignments - now quit reading this and get back to work!

Interesting that you bring up the Frankenstein animatronics. It's been suggested by a couple of people that they're not up to par, and maybe shouldn't be on there. I thought that, even if they're not the best, they give an indication that I have some experience in that arena. It sounds like you're on the same page as me? Ideally, I'd like to replace out most of what's in my portfolio with better work over the next six months or so anyway.

I'll add a new sculpture photo later in the week.

Thanks for a great first day. Looking forward to being able to talk more next time.

Thanks for the updates, Chris and Shannon. Don't worry, I pieced together quickly that "David" was me

Your compliments are taken to heart, as are your suggestions. This week I will be reorganizing our website to more clearly represent the various types of work we do, as well as adding some information on our facility, machines, and services. Looking forward to chatting with everyone again on Saturday.

And Jasper, I agree with Shelly. The new site layout is straight forward and easy to navigate. Great job.

Hey Jasper - Better by 1000%! So much clearer and the pictures are more enticing to click on than just the word: animatronics. Personally, I don't know how much work the pumpkin carving gets you - I might leave that out - but if it is attracting Halloween business - go for it. Have you Halloween types heard of Sinister Space? It is a Halloween forum that I signed up for years ago when I had licensed a Halloween product. I'm not active on the site any more; just wondered if any of you were. I can't spend a heck of a lot of time talking this Saturday about our thoughts on www.happypencil.com so if any of you have been there and have reactions to the site, let's discuss them here first - what do you think?

I checked out the happy pencil site, and simply was not a fan. The "Intro" site was too cluttered with small text, and it was confusing to figure out where to click. Once I was inside the site, I was still unsure on what images and text would be clickable.

The store (light half):

I found myself wishing that the righthand bars could be navigated with a scrollwheel. I also was hoping that the images could be zoomed. The general layout, however, seemed fine. Also, I could not find a "return" to home so I could access the other half of the site.

The gallery (dark half):

I was not a fan of the pop-up mini window format. The categories like "eat" and "sleep" left me not knowing what I would see when I clicked. I think I remember visiting this site years ago when I wanted to find the artist of Tool's CD covers. If I recall correctly, the website hasn't changed much since then. We are now so used to instant gratification, that the flash transitions seem to take ages.

I love Cam's style and work, but the website seems very lacking to me.

Good on YOU Charlie! Listen, I love Cam - he's a TREMENDOUS illustrator and I wanted YOU all to see what happens when you get SO creative that your site becomes cluttered and difficult to navigate. I know Cam's goal is to keep you on the site exploring as long as possible but here's my question: Why waste people's time?

Yes, he's advertising his services, but most sites that are designed to keep visitors ON the site for a long period of time have advertising deals. They sell banner ads, etc. and the price of the ad goes up with the number of visitors to the site (as well as how many people click on the ads, etc.). So for an artist, who's trying to keep you engaged, his site is equally repellent to those clients who just want a quick look at the work and to move on.

The irony is that Cam does tend to work a lot because he's so darned good (but I do think he has an agent who gets him work). I wasn't trying to serve up Cam. He's a wonderful human being who works very, very hard, and I think his site is more of a "gift" to his fans rather than an advertising site.

The bottom line is this - Keep it simple, attractive, and easy to navigate. I also like sites where I can find contact info (not a "contact" button) on every page so that when it is time to send an email or make a phone call, I don't have to go back to the home page and click: "Contact Us"

Also, Charlie, one of the things you are missing from your site is : "Who We Are" which should have photos and short bios of the key players. AND, if you can get client testimonials, post them as well.

I just signed up for Sinister Space to check it out. I was very active on Haunt Forum and Halloween Forum back when I did my own display, and so do most of my advertising there. I get the impression much of the forum traffic has moved to Facebook groups now. I'm hoping pick something up from Matt on how to find an audience there.

Good note on the pumpkin. I'll replace him when I have something better with interesting character (actually, I think everything on that sculpture page is kind of so-so). No, I don't think I get any Halloween work from the portfolio site. Pretty much everyone just wants something that already exists, so they go for the Tombstones and crystal ball projections on my blog (working on setting up a proper store site for those and the new ones coming out later this year).

As for Happy Pencil, I'm with Charlie. My feeling is that the work is very good, but the website is a pain to navigate. There's a lot going on that, while cool, distracts from the work. It also seems really difficult to actually rotate through the various pieces in both "halves" of the site. That's a big thing for me on portfolio sites in general-- I just want to see the work. I don't want to have to click on each photo, I don't want to wait for everything to load.

Music to my ears Jasper! I just want you (all of you actually) to look at your own sites and imagine that a complete stranger is visiting. They have no idea who you are, what you do, what skill/price level you may be at, but YOU want THEM to hire you. YOU over all of the other sites, portfolios, and reels. Your job is to design a site that will leave a LASTING memory, not just in terms of work, but in ease of getting information. Again, I'm not dissing Cam, but what that site tells me is that you'll get GREAT work, but it'll be a hassle to get it. See what I mean?

Thanks for looking at Big Gun, and finding it so resourcefully I might add! You are very kind with your compliments, thank you.I was in the process of updating our showreel before sending you the link to the website. Can I just confirm that you used www.Biggun.tv ? I've added a short we did called 'The Birth of Rock', to the films section. Do get a chance to check it out if you have the time.

Regarding my current practice, I've experience across a broad spectrum of disciplines and so, in a way, that's been a curse these past few years! My main bread and butter work the past while has been very corporate and working on local animated TV adverts. Some of the work is heavy on motion design and this is a very different mind-set to character modelling for example. I work with really nice people, so I'm thankful to be working. My main background though is character animation, drawing and film. I have a tonne of recent life drawing and anatomical studies on my website. (www.petercooperworkshop.com)

It's not so much the company website I wanted to focus on for this course, it's selling my own personal self that I'd like to improve. Killing two birds with one stone might work to though.

Here's the thing, I started a part-time MFA in the University of Ulster in 2012 (Belfast). I did this so that I could find better focus regarding where I'm going in my career. In this case, characters, character creation and characters with stories to tell. I'm in my second semester and this is the stage where I begin to start figuring out my values both for and against, branding myself better,what is my market, who are my customers (and consumers)... it's all very entrepreneurial that way. Do I want to work for a studio? Do I want to create a character series and bring it to market etc... The business of making monsters came at exactly the right time! Portfolio building is an important aspect I need to improve on, as is network building! I've already had a lot to process through the webinar both from yourself, and Shannon Gans and seeing everyone else's work... flip, really inspiring stuff.

Sculpting characters, monsters and creatures whether it be practical or digital is the path I have chosen. I've always been drawn to creatures and monsters, and like many, I've had a big dose of Ray Harryhausen movies growing up. (thankyou Mr. Harryhausen!)... not to mention the usual suspects regarding horror and science fiction. I'm just feeling it's time to make this happen.I'm an artist at heart and I'm constantly looking to be involved in other opportunities, local sculpture commissions for example, perhaps try my hand at bronze casting and figurative sculpture. whatever it might take to learn new skills. Monsters aside, I love pushing my anatomical knowledge further and learning as much as I can on the subject going forwards.

I was involved in two of the live creature sculpting courses hosted by the Stan Winston School, last summer. I had a blast, and learned a lot! The networking element was immense. Since then, I've been expanding my skillsets in Zbrush and been involved in some of the master courses over at Ryan Kingslien's Zbrushworkshops. (Can I say that? I always get mental red alert when I mention other online learning resources here..)

Whether it be Marquette sculpting or digital sculpting, these are the areas I'm pushing for in my portfolio. I'm creating a volume of work that is growing and I guess, I'm finding my voice. I'm reaching the tipping point, if not already. I actually love your suggestion regarding puppet creation and green screen. I actually went and purchased your garage monster DVDs already! So that's going to be fun. If for example I'm building large foam dinosaurs, I ask myself is this going to be a hobby or am I going to do this professionally. Exciting times lie ahead.

Homework Question:

Regarding my homework, one small part of it was you wanted to see the Big Gun website (check!)Regarding the other part, you suggested that I do something that says something more about me?Is that still correct? Is it a practical exercise I should do? I've given myself a task of creating a digital Marquette and I've limited the time I have to work on it, at 8 hours! It could be hit and miss though! (ie: A good doodle Vs a bad doodle)

Thank you again for your kind words and for the advice you've given, it's been really great!

Thanks for the advice and praise Shannon! We did a few photo shoots and creatively followed the lighting advice from the seminar last weekend. Should hand props ( guns, swords, axe with blood rigging and plate, etc etc ) be photographed in the hands of someone or artfully placed with a drape/ backdrop ?

We are right along the Hudson River and its become very noticeable around here lately that ALOT of television and film work is creeping its way out of the NYC area which is two hours south of us. We have started looking into who is out there for the weapon and dummy rental services. Are there websites that list these types companies as a resource for production companies/ Prop and set departments?

Our sister company is www.headlesshorseman.com, which has galleries exhibiting the work we do for our Halloween attractions.

I've been working nonstop (except for eating, sleeping and doctor visits) on my website for the past few days. Actually, It's been closer to a week and a half. I had revamped a good portion of it before starting this course. I incorporated some of your suggestions as well as getting some feedback from my Facebook friends and listening to what they had to say. I think it's a huge improvement, but there's still a bit of work to do. The main issue is my banner graphic. I'm still not 100% satisfied with it, but it's getting there. The perspective of the letters is off. I've discovered that I am truly NOT a graphic designer. Luckily, I have friends who are and they will be helping me get this more up to par. I also fixed the mobile version of the site, so that should be a lot easier to navigate as well. Please let me know what you think and I'll try to incorporate any additional suggestions into the site before it's due Thursday night (although I'm on set Thursday from 2pm to 10pm, so I can't guarantee it).

Now that I feel somewhat comfortable with my site, I'm moving on to get a jump on some other areas. I've been driving traffic to my Facebook business page, which has gone abandoned for a while. I'll be updating this with photos and whatnot as well as forcing myself to actually post on it from time to time.

I'm going to post some pictures on Instagram, but I seem to be a bit stupid when it comes to this app. Can you only post pictures from your phone? I can't seem to figure out how to do it on my desktop. I am Instagram-challenged.

I'm also updating my resume to make it look a little nicer (it's currently about 3 pages of black text...nothing else). I'll be cutting out some stuff and adding some photos to the back as Shannon Gans recommended.

The foam appliances that I was working on have been put aside to work on my site, which took a considerably larger amount of time than I had expected. I got my molds cleaned out tonight and bought a small convection toaster oven so as to save my family (and pet rats) from the fumes. I'm hoping to run my foam and get them cooked up some time next week (depending on how intense next week's homework is). I'll be utilizing some of the photography tips on them and then applying them to one of my forced volunteers (most likely, my husband) and taking photos of the applied piece. I started a "store" page on my site, but there's nothing on it yet. Soon....

Considering your suggestion of other ways to make money, I've been brainstorming and have thought up a few things. I'd like to eventually build a walk-in foam oven. I'm thinking I can rent it out to many of my local SFX friends who have shied away from foam because they don't have one. I'm also on the hunt for a good used DSLR and have lots of ideas for it. Definitely going to do some Pros-Aide transfers. I was also thinking of doing some tattoo designs. I have a few sheets of waterslide paper sitting around and could sketch up some stuff pretty quickly. Brainstorming, brainstorming....

Charlie and I have made plans to meet up at his studio on Friday. I'm going to check the place out and see what kind of equipment they have. Could be a great place to utilize if I ever need a space larger than my garage (until I can afford my own studio, of course). It's always fun to meet up with like-minded folks and talk shop. He also mentioned that he has a smaller vacu-form machine that he might be selling. Could be a great addition to my shop.

On a side note, my husband has a job interview on Friday. If he gets this job, I can actually use our tax return to purchase some of the aforementioned shop items, so keep your fingers crossed for him!

And thanks again for doing this class. It's really given me the inspiration and push that I've needed to get stuff done!

Okay Folks, it is nearly 1:30 and I just want to take a moment to address Peter's homework question - Yes, I want to see YOUR work. I don't care whether it is practical or digital as long as you think it represents a good portfolio piece based on the information we gave you last week. Here's a hint (to all of you, actually) - concentrate on YOUR OWN designs because ultimately you want to end up with your own Intellectual Property (I.P.). AMERICAN MADE MONSTERS, don't forget to put a watermark with a copyright 2014 on EVERY photo!